NAFDAC destroys N3bn substandard medicines in one year

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized and destroyed substandard and falsified medicines worth three billion naira within the last one year.

Director General of the agency Prof Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during the commemoration of her one year anniversary in office.

She said the substandard and falsified medicines include unwholesome foods, and other unregulated products.

Prof Adeyeye said the removal of NAFDAC from the ports from 2011 to 2018 worsened the problem of substandard and falsified medicines, illicit drugs and unwholesome foods in the country thereby portending danger for the populace.

She said the agency was in the process of procuring more detection gadgets to monitor substandard and falsified medicines at the zonal and state levels.

The NAFDAC boss said the promotion of local manufacture of medicines has been on her priority list in order to reverse the trend of 30% locally manufactured drug products to 70%.

Professor Adeyeye said since her assumption of office, the new director of the Ports Inspection Directorate has intercepted 86 containers of tramadol and other unregulated drug products.

She said over the past year, hundreds of staff have been trained in national and international specialities in order to align the agency with international regulation standards in foods, drugs and other regulated products.

Professor Adeyeye said some other achievements include reducing the agency’s debt of N3.2bn to zero, reaccreditation and upgrading of state and zonal office and laboratories, engagement of the public as well as ensuring a disciplined and motivated workforce.

She added that some of the challenges of the agency include providing utility vehicles for inspection of drug markets, data gathering, computers needed for registration of regulated products and approval and re-equipping laboratories.

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